Category: Newsletter

October 2017 News

Member news and articles
Michael Pesek – article on German War Crimes in East Africa during WW1; Magdelene von Prins

Brian Tarpey – Captain James Fredrick ELLISON M.C., D.C.M, R.M.L.I

Peter Dickens of the South African League on the South African flag used during World War 1

Kathie Satchwell on South Africans in Delville Wood (an audio account 53mins long)

Medical Project update
Transcribed reports by Dr WW Pike on the medical services in East Africa are now available online. The reports cover British East Africa and German East Africa. Further links are constantly being added to the document.
If you have any additional information, articles or other relevant discoveries, please get in touch or complete the online form.

Legion of Frontiersmen
The LoF archive which is held at the University of Alberta in Canada has recently launched the online catalogue. It can be found in the Bruce Peel Special Collection.

Memorials
The Nigerian CWGC memorial has been reinstated in Abuja after a long absence

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has updated its ways of communicating. To subscribe to the new mailing list etc, visit http://eepurl.com/cWN3mn

Other bits of interest
South African World War 1 VC awards with more of the ceremony here

Diversity House in Sittingbourne, Kent is having a hands-on workshop on Friday 27 October in Maidstone. Come and share your World War 1 Africa stories and/or explore the lives of others who experienced the war a hundred years ago. GWAA will be there.

June 2017 update

Auction running 6-13 July: Diary of Hyacinth and Minerva up for sale.

SS Mendi bell handed in by unknown person.
Article from the SA Daily Maverick on the dialogues of the drowned of the SS Mendi

A memorial was unveiled in Brixton, London in memory of African and Caribbean men who served in World War 1. The King’s African Rifles and East African Force Association was involved. BBC report

As soon as information is available regarding the 25 November 2018 commemoration events in Mbala/Abercorn, it will be posted on this site. Arrangements are being made in Zambia – with various logistics needing to be organised. From what I have heard so far, it’s going to be good.

There’s a new article by Harry Fecitt on the 2/3 KAR in German East Africa. You can see it and other articles by Harry and GWAA members here.
Ana Paula Pires has an article on The First World War in Portuguese East Africa: Civilian and Military Encounters in the Indian Ocean

For members who read German, Michael Pesek has posted some new topics recently. This one is on Lake Kivu ops, German Governor Schnee’s declaration and Lettow’s recollections in 1922
Michael has also shared a link to a French film with English subtitles about the war in Africa – Black and White in Colour (1976). It was filmed in the Ivory Coast. Loved the bagpipes.

Account of the battle of Nyanza

Visual of where Indian troops served

May 2017 update

A number of GWAA members are presenting at the World War 1 & Africa: conference on 2 June in Sittingbourne. It will be good to see others at the event if you have some time to spare.

Ed Yorke has reviewed Guerrillas of Tsavo by James Willson (available to purchase through GWAA or from James direct).

The story of a man who served on Lake Victoria during World War 1 – thanks to @Gillyflower

From Tim Wright re Vic Falls memorial (Zambia)
GWAA members may be concerned to know that Northern Rhodesia’s World War I memorial at Victoria Falls is in need of repair. The memorial bears the names of 78 Europeans connected with the Territory who died on war service in Africa and other theatres. I attach details as far as I have been able to ascertain of all 78. It will be seen that several of those who met their deaths on the Western Front had earlier served in the campaigns in East or South-West Africa. Fallen Africans are commemorated but not named on this memorial.

The memorial does not belong to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission so it will not pay for its repair. However it has furnished the name of a suitable contractor who has quoted £5,700 for the necessary work, his food and accommodation being supplied free of charge by Peter Jones, a Livingstone businessman who is most anxious to see the repairs effected and brought the matter to the attention of Brigadier David Williams, President of the King’s African Rifles and East African Forces Association who is handling collection of funds in UK through the accounts of his association which will be well known to many GWAA members.

Anyone who wishes to contribute to this work should contact David Williams . As Chairman of the Northern Rhodesia Police Association I shall be proposing at our AGM in mid-May that we make a donation. I have written to three people I happen to know are related to persons named on the memorial and will be writing to other organisations with a Zambian or Northern Rhodeisa connexion. The Northern Rhodesia Police war memorial, in Livingstone, bearing the names of both European and African members of the Force who fell on active service, remains I am relieved to hear, in good condition.